Air pollution approaching critical stages in Tehran

The head of Tehran's air-quality control announced on Monday that the capital's air quality has reached the warning stage, and the section of the city known as Shahr Rey, with the most polluted air today, is steps away from reaching emergency levels.

Yousef Rashidi told the Mehr News Agency that the forecasts indicate that Tuesday will bring similar levels of pollution.

Authorities announced that due to the high levels of pollution, schools and government offices will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. But banks and emergency and hospital services will continue to operate.

Khabar-on-line reported that except for three cities in Tehran province, all other cities will also be closed.

Despite various plans to reduce air pollution in Tehran, the use of old cars and the heavy concentration of pollution-producing industries around the capital have made the plans ineffective.

The latest reports indicate that while Tehran's streets have a capacity to handle 800,000 cars, they are now being used by four million automobiles.

View Larger MapThe metropolis of Tehran houses about 10 million
people.Tehran is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. Tehran is Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and the world's 19th largest city.